“When you’ve got Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams and Brayden Sier, Jordan de Goey floating through and Tom Phillips on a wing, then you throw Beams into the mix. Beams is a top-10 player in the competition.

“I don’t think you can factor him in, but imagine if Daniel Wells gets going.”

Lyon offered a simple reason for tipping against West Coast, who beat the Magpies three times last season – including twice during the finals series.

“That’s why I’m not tipping the West Coast Eagles, because I think winning back-to-back premierships, history tells you it’s just so damn hard to do,” Lyon said.

West Coast made the finals the year after winning each of their first three premierships – finishing fourth, sixth and fifth – and are at short odds to make the top-eight this season.